University Honors Academy
The Honors Academy provides an enriched experience for undergraduate students who want to be part of an engaged community of scholars. The Academy challenges students to go beyond regular undergraduate requirements and cultivate depth and breadth in their education.
The Honors Academy offers undergraduate students from all majors a distinctive opportunity to be recognized for excellence in their coursework. Upon graduation, these students earn University Honors. Graduating with University Honors is the highest recognition Lindenwood awards at graduation. This achievement is announced at graduation and recipients wear Honors cords at commencement. “University Honors” also appears on the student’s diploma and transcript. Acceptance into the Honors Academy is by application only. First-year students, transfer students, current students, and returning students with minimum cumulative GPAs of 3.5 are eligible to apply. At time of application, current students are also required to have a minimum of four semesters left until degree completion in order to have ample time to complete the 24 Honors credit hours required for University Honors. Students must be formally admitted to Lindenwood University to apply for admission to the Honors Academy.
There are two types of Honors courses. In Honors-designated courses, every student is automatically enrolled for Honors credit. A student must earn a final grade of AH or BH to receive Honors credit in these courses. In addition, any undergraduate course may be taken for Honors credit with the permission of the instructor. To earn Honors credit in a regular undergraduate course, students and instructors must agree on a project that enhances the course and makes it equivalent to an Honors course. To earn Honors credit for this type of a course, students must complete the Honors Course Agreement and earn a final grade of A.
To graduate with University Honors, a student must earn at least 24 Honors credit hours at various course levels and have an overall university GPA of 3.5 or above. The 24 Honors credit hours may include up to 12 credit hours of Honors transfer credit. Acceptance of transfer credit toward the completion of a student’s Honors credit requirement is at the discretion of the Honors Academy.
Honors Academy students who do not maintain at least a 3.5 university GPA and/or are not completing Honors courses or courses for Honors credit every academic year may be removed from membership at any time at the discretion of the Honors Academy.